This month we are talking to Jodie Gibson about rehab, players to watch and her new Gilbert signature ball.
New team, why the move?
I had a great three years with Severn Stars but at this stage of my career I wanted to find a new challenge in an environment where I could further develop my netball skills working with new coaches and team mates.
How’s the rehab going and what goals do you have for this year?
At the moment rehab is progressing well. This last year has been really tough, there has been many a time in the last year where my knee rehab has presented unexpected challenges. This has been really hard both physically but also mentally but I’ve had the best support from the medical staff, my team mates, family and friends which has got me through some incredibly dark days of rehab. My goal for 2020 is to just play netball, I can’t wait for that moment I get to wear the Saracens Mavericks dress this season and just play with my team mates and have fun with it.
How do you fit training in around your career and social life?
I’m extremely lucky that netball is my job so the structure of my training week usually looks the same each week, depending on which day the match falls on. This means I can pre plan social events with my friends and family which is really nice - however there are still a lot of weddings and social gatherings I have to miss because of netball commitments. My friends and family are so used to it by now that they run dates past me months in advance and fit their social events around my netball calendar when they can.
Who do you think are players to watch this year and why?
This season my player to watch is 17-year old Fungi Fadoju, what a talent she is. I have seen her play a handful of times, most recently in the Netball open competition. Her long arms and fearless defence is really incredible to watch and I’m excited to see more of what she can do this year playing for London Pulse, under my old coach, Sam Bird.
How did it feel to be asked to design your very own Gilbert ball and what did you enjoy most about the design process?
I absolutely loved having the opportunity to design my very own Gilbert ball. Having my own netball was always a dream and I’m very grateful Gilbert were able to facilitate that dream. I’m not the most creative person but I worked closely with the design team, I knew my ball had to represent my home town Manchester and I knew I wanted the LGBTQ colours running through my ball - I absolutely loved the finished design. When I see people with it I really do burst with pride :-)
Tell us something that most people don’t know about Jodie Gibson?
I recently celebrated international I hate coriander day.
Jodie Gibson is a Gilbert global ball ambassador. Purchase her ball here http://bit.ly/2wrKEOJ
